A school in Santiago, Chile, has banned the use of mobile phones on campus, forcing teenagers to set aside TikTok and Instagram and rediscover the joys of playing games, reading books, and chatting with friends.
The move has been described as a “digital detox” and is the first such initiative in the country.
The Lo Barnechea Bicentenario school, located in the northern district of the capital, introduced the measure for eighth-grade students in August.
Their phones are locked in special cases that block signals but remain in their possession until the end of the school day. The initiative is backed by the local mayor’s office and has been welcomed by students, parents and teachers.
STUDENTS REDISCOVER REAL-WORLD CONNECTIONS
Instead of scrolling endlessly through social media, students now spend time playing volleyball, basketball, ping pong or rehearsing dances. Others are found in the library or chatting in the school caf.
“Breaks are very lively now,” said principal Humberto Garrido, who explained that the school also created a wider plan with board games, sports competitions and group activities to promote bonding.
Several students reported feeling happier. “I feel freer, I spend more time at recess, I play more sports. Before, I used to spend time on my phone, watching TikTok and Instagram,” said 14-year-old Jose David.
A MODEL FOR OTHER SCHOOLS
The project will be expanded to all grades in the school and then to other schools in the Lo Barnechea district over the next year.
Inspired by similar models in the United States, the plan comes as Chile debates regulating smartphone use in schools nationwide.
Chile has one of the highest levels of screen time among students in Latin America. A 2023 OECD survey found that over half of Chilean students felt distracted by digital devices, above the global average.
MENTAL HEALTH AND LEARNING CONCERNS
Officials say excessive smartphone use is fuelling anxiety, depression, obesity and poor academic performance.
“Today we have children who are experiencing all kinds of problems: depression, anxiety and obesity. When you take away their cell phones, there’s hysteria,” said Lo Barnechea mayor Felipe Alessandri.
Experts argue that smartphones are designed to be addictive.
“All scientific evidence indicates that for a smartphone to be used in a healthy way, it must be used by children over the age of 16,” said educator Carolina Prez, author of Kidnapped by the Screens.
The Chilean Senate’s education committee has already backed a bill to regulate phones in schools. If passed, the law could make phone-free classrooms a reality across the country.
(With inputs from AP)
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